Surya Class
The first of a new breed of Light Cruiser in Starfleet, the Surya Class was the response to a call for a new light starship to serve alongside the Constitution Class after the success of the obsolete Kestrel Class Light Cruiser (although by then designated a Destroyer) at halting Klingon incursions in the Bernard System in 2247. She pioneered a new, single-hulled design that has been used on many light starships since. Replaced in Federation Prime Fleet service by the similar shaped Miranda Class Light Cruiser in 2272, the Surya went on to serve admirably in the Federation Reserve Fleet throughout the 2280s and into the 2290s. Development By 2226, the Light Cruiser concept was considered to be tactically unsound, what with developments in firepower, speed and defence that had occurred since the introduction of the Paris Class in 2196. The latest Federation design, the Kestrel Class, was spared from retirement by her performance at the defence of the Slavin H-3 colony in early 2226, although the earlier Paris Class had been reclassified as a Destroyer. The same fate soon befell the Kestrel Class, and in 2233 she replaced the Paris Class in Federation Prime Fleet service. Despite further respites in 2246 and in the Bernard System in 2248, it was clear that the Kestrel Class was showing her age and would be unsuitable in a modern war. A Destroyer replacement emerged in the shape of the short-lived Saladin Class, but Starfleet tacticians also saw the need for a new Light Cruiser, the first in 25 years, to compliment the Constitution Class in Cruiser Squadrons and to serve in minor roles where there were insufficient numbers of the larger Heavy Cruiser to go around. Using the new Standard A technology systems first debuted on the Constitution Class, the design for a lighter version soon progressed quickly, and with the reduction in size (and increase in power) afforded by the SSWR-XV-L reactor (first used on the Saladin Class), a design emerged that dispensed with the secondary hull entirely. Launched later that year, the USS Surya (NCC-305) completed her shakedown cruise with minimal problems. She was actually the second ship laid down, with NCC-304 running behind schedule due to shortages of the SSWR-XV-L reactor. When NCC-304 was commissioned shortly after the launch of the Surya, she was christened the USS Mysore (NCC-304). Armament wise, the Surya mounted a similar weapons array to the Akula Class Destroyer, but had a significantly stronger hull, shielding and a larger crew complement. She also had a longer cruising range and could remain on station for longer periods, although less so than a Heavy Cruiser. Operational History Other than a few minor skirmishes with the Orion Pirates, the combat debut of the Surya Class came during the 4-Day War in 2266. Acting in a command role with Saladin and Akula Class Destroyers rather than supporting Constitution Class Heavy Cruisers as they had been designed to do, she never the less proved the flexibility and firepower of the Light Cruiser concept. She then went on to more noble pursuits, such as scientific studies and diplomatic missions, as well as patrolling the Federation side of the resulting Neutral Zone. Being of a similar age and design to the Constitution Class, the Surya was a natural choice for Type II technology upgrades. However, the pioneering design used in the Surya had lead (upon closer inspection) to microfractures in many of the core structural components. Whilst these fractures could be repaired with thorough overhaul, they would make a radical and widespread refit difficult and costly. Instead it was decided to copy the Surya's design, albeit with modifications to avoid similar spaceframe fatigue, and to build a brand new class of Light Cruiser; the Miranda Class. There was sufficient shipyard capacity at this time to gradually perform overhauls of the existing Surya to Standard A Late specifications as well as construct new Miranda Class ships. As these new vessels came online, the Suryas were passed to the Federation Reserve Fleet, providing them with their first Light Cruiser design. In this form, the Surya served throughout the Organian Conflict and the War of Pacification, seeing no further combat however as the Federation Reserve Fleet was not engaged in these conflicts. The next test of the Surya came with the Klingon attack on the Federation Reserve Fleet shipyards in the Pearl System in 2292, an act which marked the beginning of the General War. Suryas, serving once again as command ships for Akula Class Destroyers, fought alongside the Gorn Royal Navy in liberating Federation space. Their mandate being defensive in nature, the Suryas did not participate in the offensive campaign into the Klingon Empire that took place shortly afterwards, but they did serve with the rest of the Federation Reserve Fleet in defending the Subspace Slipway in the Regula sector against any further ISC attacks. Apocrypha With the end of the General War in August 2292, and the Khitomer Accords in 2293, the Federation Reserve Fleet was disbanded, and the remaining Surya Class ships with it. Specifications * Class: '''Light Cruiser,' Obsolete * 'Hull Type Designation: FOCL * '''Length: 218m * Crew: 390 * Warp Nacelles: '''2 * '''Maximum Sublight Speed: 3875 k/s (38.75 Mk/s) * Cruise Warp Factor Speed: wf 6.5 * Safe Maximum Warp Factor Speed: wf 9.2 * Hull Rating: '230 HSF * 'Shield Rating: 400 FSP * Sensor Rating: 800 SRU * Armament and Equipment: ** Primary *** 3 × Type A Phaser Emitter ** Secondary *** 2 × Mark V Photon Torpedo Tube ** Heavy *** None ** Advanced *** None ** Equipment *** Tractor Beam Emitter *** Mark VI Probes Ships in Service (2292) USS Mysore (NCC-304) USS Surya (NCC-305) USS Trishul (NCC-306) USS Prithvi (NCC-307) USS Akash (NCC-308) USS Nagash (NCC-309) USS Madras (NCC-310) USS Peshawar (NCC-311) USS Calcutta (NCC-312) USS Sindh (NCC-313) USS Bangladesh (NCC-314) USS Irrawaddy (NCC-315) USS Bombay (NCC-316) USS Pondicherry (NCC-317) USS Cuddalore (NCC-318) USS Bangalore (NCC-319) USS Madurai (NCC-320) USS Pradesh (NCC-321) USS Goa (NCC-322) USS Nagpur (NCC-323) USS Jaipur (NCC-324) USS Jodhpur (NCC-325) USS Rajasthan (NCC-326) USS Hyderabad (NCC-327) USS Deccan (NCC-328) USS Sikkim (NCC-329) USS Kashmir (NCC-330) USS Travancore (NCC-339) USS Kalat (NCC-340) USS Makran (NCC-333) USS Kolhapur (NCC-334) USS Jamkhandi (NCC-335) USS Maratha (NCC-336) USS Punjab (NCC-337) USS Bahawalpur (NCC-338) Category:Federation Reserve Fleet Vessels Category:Light Cruisers Category:Cruisers